Sho-Chiku-Bai

For my birthday, I received a very large Lego kit. Now I loved Legos as a kid and I still put kits together when I am babysitting my grandkids, but this one was a Japanese-themed kit called the “Tranquil Garden.”

It contains the Sho-Chiku-Bai of Kempo!

Which brings me to the subject of this article.

Do you know the symbols of Kenpo and the underlying philosophy?

The three symbols of Kenpo are Sho-Chiku-Bai ( 松 竹 梅 if you want the characters).

Sho means pine tree, Chiku means bamboo, and Bai means plum (especially the Ume plum. These terms are often used to describe good fortune or auspicious possibilities in Japanese culture. These three plants are known as the Three Friends of Winter and have been a favorite subject of ancient Chinese painters.

You can often find these symbols embroidered on the patches of many Kenpo schools, especially the Mitose lineage, but also many Hawaiian schools, due to the connection to James M. Mitose, the Father of Kenpo in the United States. Also, Maestro Mike Mulconery has/had a patch using these symbols, that was the old Kaji-Kumi patch (if I recall correctly).

The pine tree, or Sho (as in “Shorin” or Pine Forest, the Japanese pronunciation of the characters for Shaolin), is a symbol of good fortune and long life. Bamboo, or Chiku, is associated with strength, vigor and liveliness. The plum, or Bai, is a plant that blossoms in winter and so it is also considered a symbol of good luck.

In Japan, the term Sho-Chiku-Bai is also used to indicate the quality of some items. For example, it can be used to describe the best quality item you can get (Sho), the good quality item (Chiku), and the regular old every-day item (Bai).

It can also be used in other cultural aspects including but not limited to, art, literature, and even product branding and logos.

Now you know!